Hyaluronic Acid · Placed With Restraint · Pacific Plaza
Dermal fillers in Singapore are injectable gels, regulated by the Health Sciences Authority as medical devices, that replace volume the face has lost. At Atelier, Dr Sin Yong uses hyaluronic acid (HA) filler for most areas because it can be dissolved, and decides the area, material and depth only after examining how your face has changed. This page explains what filler does, who it suits, who should wait, and the risks worth knowing before you book.
Injectable hyaluronic acid is the same sugar molecule your skin already makes, cross-linked into a gel so that it stays where it is placed instead of being broken down within days. It binds water and occupies space. Placed deep, it rebuilds the support that overlying tissue rests on; nearer the surface, in small amounts, it smooths a contour.
Three things change as a face ages: volume is lost, tissue loosens and slides, and skin quality declines. Face fillers act on the first of these only. A filler does not tighten skin, does not relax a muscle and does not move tissue that has descended. Asked to do those jobs, it simply adds weight.
Firmer, non-HA fillers and slower collagen biostimulators do related jobs; the table compares them.
| Material | How it works | Can it be dissolved? | Usual role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hyaluronic acid (HA) | Cross-linked gel that binds water and fills space | Yes, with hyaluronidase | Lips, tear trough, cheeks, chin, temples, fine contour |
| CaHA (Radiesse) | Firm gel; microspheres then support new collagen | No | Structure at the chin, jawline, cheek and nose |
| PCL (Ellanse) | Firm gel; microspheres then support new collagen | No | Structural contour where reversibility matters less |
| Poly-L-lactic acid | Collagen response over months; little volume on the day | No | Gradual support where the face has thinned broadly |
At A Glance
Hyaluronic acid filler as it is planned at Atelier; timings vary with the area and with you.
Who It Suits
Filler suits a face that has genuinely lost volume while its skin and supporting ligaments still hold. Each area has its own page: cheek fillers, temple fillers, chin enhancement, nose fillers, tear trough refinement and lip enhancement.
The material follows the area. The cheek, chin and jawline need firm support placed deep, so firmer HA, or CaHA or PCL where being able to dissolve it is less important. Lips and tear troughs move and sit close to the surface, so they receive small amounts of soft HA, and HA is the only filler used in the tear trough.
If you are new to filler, starting with HA is usually sensible, because it can be taken back out. Heavy, loose skin is not a filler problem: laxity is assessed for lifting, and marked excess skin is a reason for a plastic surgery opinion.
The Decision
Dr SY plans from what is missing, not from a number of syringes, separating lost volume from descent and from skin quality. Descent is a job for threads or lifting rather than filler; thin, dull skin is a job for a skin booster. How these fit together in a structural plan is set out under volume restoration, and the dermal fillers guide explains why the amount that looks right is less than the face will take.
Treatment is deferred during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and over an active infection, cold sore or inflamed skin near the site. An allergy to lidocaine or to any component, blood-thinning medicine or a bleeding tendency, autoimmune disease, keloid tendency and any earlier non-resorbable filler such as silicone are discussed before anything is planned. Choosing no treatment is always an option, and your plan is written down; how we quote explains what changes it.
On The Day
More detail: what to expect with dermal fillers.
Recovery
Expect some swelling, tenderness and perhaps a small bruise at the entry points. Lips and tear troughs swell more than bony areas. Uneven settling between sides is not a reason to add product. The shape is judged at about two weeks, once swelling has gone, and any small adjustment is decided then.
Dermal filler aftercare covers the first fortnight, and dermal filler downtime shows how you are likely to look day by day. As a working guide, HA lasts 6 to 18 months depending on product and placement, but no duration can be promised, and HA can stay in the tissue after its visible effect has faded. What remains is assessed before anything more is added.
Risks
Common and short-lived: swelling, tenderness and bruising. Less common: lumps, product that moves away from where it was placed, a bluish tint where HA lies too near the surface, and inflammatory nodules, which can appear months or even years later. Dermal filler complications explains each, and filler correction covers the fix.
Rare and serious: filler entering or pressing on a blood vessel. The nose, the frown area, the forehead and the tear trough carry the highest risk because their arteries connect with the eye's circulation. Skin that turns white, dusky, purple or net-patterned, or pain far beyond what the injection should cause, needs a doctor the same day. Treat any change in vision as an emergency: call 995 or go straight to a hospital A&E department, rather than contacting a clinic first. For HA, the treatment is urgent high-dose hyaluronidase, which is kept on hand wherever HA is injected at Atelier. CaHA and PCL cannot be dissolved, which is why they are placed conservatively. See the warning signs in full.
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Atelier Aesthetics · Owned by AYA
9 Scotts Road, Pacific Plaza #12-01A, Singapore 228210 · +65 8023 7170
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